What Are You Really Learning at School?

Some child development experts are concerned that schools today aren’t teaching kids the skills they need to succeed. A culture of testing, they say, is inhibiting the development of “life skills.” Curricular content aside, what do you think you are really learning at school? Are you developing skills that will carry you through life?

They say the ever-growing emphasis on academic performance and test scores means many children aren’t developing life skills like self-control, motivation, focus and resilience, which are far better predictors of long-term success than high grades. And it may be distorting their and their parents’ values.

“What are we really trying to do when we think about raising kids?” asked Dr. Kenneth R. Ginsburg, an expert in adolescent medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “We’re trying to put in place the ingredients so the child is going to be a successful 35-year-old. It’s not really about getting an A in algebra.”

[…] One strategy is to teach children that the differences between easy and difficult subjects can provide useful information about their goals and interests. Subjects they enjoy and excel in may become the focus of their careers. Challenging but interesting classes or sports can become hobbies. Subjects that are difficult and uninteresting are just something “you have to get past,” Dr. Ginsburg said.

“We need to approach failure and difficulty and struggle as data that teach us what we should do with our lives,” he said. “It’s when you say to a child, ‘I expect you to do well in everything,’ that we’re preparing them to fail.”

Students: Tell us what you think you are learning at school – not in terms of academic content, but in terms of “life lessons” and “soft skills.” Are you learning, for example, how to follow directions? How to interpret text? How to cooperate and collaborate? How to be open to new ideas? How to think critically? What skills do you think you will most need to succeed in career and life?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Learning how to interact with others and their boundaries and how to be a better person is important. However, I think that lessons in logic and how to think are, unfortunately, in short supply.
No, I do not refer to those classes that teach you what a logical argument is called, how to recognise it and what fallacies exist. We’re not heading into politics. I’m talking about how to apply said knowlege. Ratiocination, sense, exact thinking, that is of what I am writing. The ability to understand things backwards and forwards from effect to cause, “this happened for such a reason”, and from cause to effect, “should this be done, that would occur”, and to use it in everyday life.
Observation and listenting are also paramount. The smallest trifles can often be the most important. For a simple example: a friend comes into the library’s computer room and talks to you. You notice his hair and glasses have small drops of water clinging to them. They are also on his clothes. It is unlikely that he has wet his hair and washed his face and glasses in the bathroom and it is equally unlikely that he rushed over from taking a shower. He has short hair, it would have, for the most part, dried along the way. Therefore, you can conclude that he got caught in the rain on the way and can ask him about the storm’s severity and whether or not it is likely to clear up soon.
The applications of this, which include effective studying and better social skills, are numerous.

Parents expect us to be good in school but all parents should know that being a teenager in high school is very complicated. also, what we learn in school sometimes isn’t relavate into what we do in our daily life.

i think we generally learn only what we need in school. Not about life lessons , we learn about certian subjects. Teachers are not responsible for teaching us life lessons, following directions, listening to your elders and such. It’s up to the teacher to decide if they want to do this. Some are really into their professions and are concerned about the children they teach .

What I’m learning? Well, there’s a whole list of things, but here’s one major “skill” that I’m learning in school:

I’m learning how to take responsibility for my own actions. If I’m late, I’m late. If I didn’t follow the school rules because I didn’t know them, too bad, that’s not an excuse. If I didn’t do my homework, I should just admit it and do the work next time.

I think that this is an important life lesson because there’s so many adults that don’t take responsibility for what they do. They have a child, but they don’t want to shoulder the responsibility that comes with having a child. They get into debt, but they don’t want to “man up” and get themselves out of debt “the long way”.

If more people took responsibility for their own actions and didn’t try to take shortcuts or make excuses, the world would be a better place. Less people would be in debt, there would be fewer numbers of abandoned children, and perhaps parents would finally get a clue on what their children actually need, and not want. (ex: They need love, not toys.)

Other than learning how to take responsibility for my own actions, I’m learning how to manage my time carefully, how to prioritize events and people, the “skill” of being able to work hard despite multiple failures, and finally, I’m learning how “society” works – a life lesson that should not be forgotten, ever.

Yes, I do think that im learining in school. Why? Because I feel that i do learn what i need to learn in order to succed in life. It’s just that some students doesnt have no home training and doesnt put in enough effort to learn. But if they were taught, and knew what was good for them they would really learn in school.

Since I attend SCP, I do actually learn other materials besides academics. I learn life lessons while I’m sitting in class. I learn how to deal with difficult people, how to multitask dealing with different assignments due on the same day, also how to mange my time not to waste time. So to answer the question, reguardless of what school you choose to attend you are, indeed, learning life skills that you will need to know inorder to survive in the real world, especially if you want to attend college.

as a student, i agree with Dr. Kenneth R. Ginsburgthat’ idea. school i learni how to cope in hectic situations, how to interact with different races and different belifes and how to abide by rules. basically learning how to act as directed and i strongly believe that it will help me in the future.

– I THink that School has Taught me so Much thinqs in life.
For example. People can be mean Too me But honestly i could Care less what people think :D!
They can call me names.
They can look at me wrong.
They can try and fight me..
WHATEVER.
it dont hurt me none(:
there only getter madder becuase i dont care. So they get mad there ‘fiqhting skills’ are Not Workinq <3

what i think i am learning at school is how to be organized and how to do things a certain way. i am also learning how to read and understand what i am reading and focus more on things. also help me with things im goin to need in my life. 😉

At school i am learning how to takee responsibility for my own actions andd not making a excusee for everything! school is very important for anyonee so tht uu can havee a education in Lifee . i am learning how to managee my timee carefuly in school. I am also learning how to interact with thee students tht i havee to workk with . likee with projects or class work….. SO THEREFOREE I THINK I AM LEARNING SOMETHING IN SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am learning that you need to take responsibility for all your actions. I’m also learning to respect other students, as well as my teachers and other authority figures. School is also teaching me to stand up for mysdelf when faced with unkind peers. Students are learning to respect other cultures and ethnicities in the world & treat them correctly.

I am learning life lessons. I am also learning how to be responsible, I am learning how to interact with others which will help later in the future. I am learning to be organized and that will also help me.